UGC may cancel aid for overcharging colleges

NEWDELHI: Colleges found charging capitation fees or indulging in any other form of profiteering may no longer be eligible for government aid under the new rules framed by the higher education regulator, the University Grants Commission (UGC), a senior official said requesting anonymity.

The UGC, in a recent meeting, had decided that the modalities under which it provides grants to colleges needed to be reviewed. Some provisions suggested could lead to tightening of norms on capitation fee, the official said.

Though the Supreme Court had in May 2016 banned the practice of charging capitation fee by educational institutions, many colleges and universities are said to be flouting the norms.

According to the draft rules circulated by UGC, only those colleges which follow UGC regulations and also have financial resources to run at least for a year will now be allowed to receive grants from the regulator.

The college should be permanently affiliated to a university as per the provisions of the UGC (Affiliation of colleges by Universities) Regulations. Besides, the university shall certify that the college fulfils all the conditions required for granting permanent affiliation in accordance with UGC norms. Another key requirement is that the college can charge students only the fee prescribed by the appropriate authority at the central or state level, and cannot ask for any capitation fees or indulge in any profiteering, the official added.

Under the revised norms, it shall be the duty of the affiliating university to verify the details of a college given in the online application form, and upload its observations and recommendations on the portal within 90 days from the date of submitting the form.

If the university or college fails to rectify the deficiency or violation even within the stipulated time, the UGC may take action including stopping of grants. “The commission has sought feedback from stakeholders on the UGC (Fitness of Colleges for Receiving Grants) Rules, 2019 and after incorporating feedback, the new norms will be put in place,” the official cited above said.

Former UGC member Prof Inder Mohan Kapahy said: “The UGC keeps on making strict regulations to discipline erring IHEs including universities but the IHEs keep finding ways and means to flout the norms.”